If you ask a reader whether they want answers immediately, or do they want to wait a while, chances are they�ll want to know right now.
But that doesn�t mean you should give them what they want.
They might complain if you seem to be taking too long getting to it, but the more you build up the tension and suspense, the higher you raise the stakes, the more they'll enjoy the journey.
But human existence is all about knowing what�s best for you and not doing it. Or knowing what you shouldn�t do and doing it anyway.
We can�t help ourselves.
But that doesn�t mean you should give them what they want.
They might complain if you seem to be taking too long getting to it, but the more you build up the tension and suspense, the higher you raise the stakes, the more they'll enjoy the journey.
But human existence is all about knowing what�s best for you and not doing it. Or knowing what you shouldn�t do and doing it anyway.
We can�t help ourselves.
How you delay the reveal, though, is not as straightforward as just holding back information or inserting a subplot. If it�s too obvious you�re adding elements purely to slow things down it�s going to feel like padding.
In order to make the story feel like a cohesive whole it�s important to make the separate elements all work together. No matter what a character decides to do it has to feel like it's part of the same story.
One way to do that is mention up front something that will happen later, or foreshadow.
So, if George is on a quest to liberate the Holy Grail from a well defended castle and on the way someone asks him for help with a rogue dragon terrorising a village, you can make that feel less arbitrary to the reader by having some discussion earlier concerning the dragon situation, or even start the story with George having to deal with a pesky lizard.
Even if you don�t think of the dragon subplot until halfway through writing the story, going back and inserting the seeds earlier is worth doing.
In addition, if George goes off and sorts out the dragon problem and then comes back to the Grail storyline in exactly the same place as he left it, then it�s going to feel like you stopped one story to start another.
However, if something happens during the dragon subplot that changes the way George approaches the Grail storyline, then you're still moving the main story forward.
What you have to be careful of is knowing that the separate storylines are going to come together but not letting the reader know. It may seem fine that they'll figure it out eventually, and what a wonderful surprise it will be for them, but it's important to give the story a sense of cohesion.
So it's better to have George suspect there's a connection between the dragons and the castle early on than it is to just suddenly reveal it at the end of the story.
That's not to say you can't have surprises, but going off in different directions and then suddenly realising everything's connected all at once will make the story seem contrived.
Avoiding that feeling can be as simple as having a character voice their suspicions or make a connection that doesn't provide answers, but just brings the possibilities to light. It will make for a more satisfying read.
In order to make the story feel like a cohesive whole it�s important to make the separate elements all work together. No matter what a character decides to do it has to feel like it's part of the same story.
One way to do that is mention up front something that will happen later, or foreshadow.
So, if George is on a quest to liberate the Holy Grail from a well defended castle and on the way someone asks him for help with a rogue dragon terrorising a village, you can make that feel less arbitrary to the reader by having some discussion earlier concerning the dragon situation, or even start the story with George having to deal with a pesky lizard.
Even if you don�t think of the dragon subplot until halfway through writing the story, going back and inserting the seeds earlier is worth doing.
In addition, if George goes off and sorts out the dragon problem and then comes back to the Grail storyline in exactly the same place as he left it, then it�s going to feel like you stopped one story to start another.
However, if something happens during the dragon subplot that changes the way George approaches the Grail storyline, then you're still moving the main story forward.
What you have to be careful of is knowing that the separate storylines are going to come together but not letting the reader know. It may seem fine that they'll figure it out eventually, and what a wonderful surprise it will be for them, but it's important to give the story a sense of cohesion.
So it's better to have George suspect there's a connection between the dragons and the castle early on than it is to just suddenly reveal it at the end of the story.
That's not to say you can't have surprises, but going off in different directions and then suddenly realising everything's connected all at once will make the story seem contrived.
Avoiding that feeling can be as simple as having a character voice their suspicions or make a connection that doesn't provide answers, but just brings the possibilities to light. It will make for a more satisfying read.
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